Seeing that Yahiko's attitude remained firm, Konan didn't say anything more, and the meeting ended unhappily.
Yahiko continued to rush around to various regions as a firefighter, while the Akatsuki members, each with their own ulterior motives, dispersed one after another, preparing to find a way to survive for themselves.
Konan looked at the Akatsuki, whose atmosphere had changed drastically, and felt completely at a loss.
We're all partners, so why did things turn out this way?
She stared blankly in the direction of Nagato's room, caught in a difficult dilemma.
Yahiko was well aware of the value of Nagato's Rinnegan, except during the early days of the Akatsuki when Nagato could only show his face.
To prevent others from coveting the Rinnegan, Nagato will not appear in the Akatsuki unless absolutely necessary!
"But the organization now..."
Konan bit her lip, somewhat troubled. Asking Nagato to intervene was definitely out of the question, but what about getting the Uzumaki Clan to do it?
She knew Yahiko's doubts, but if they couldn't even get over this hurdle, what did it matter if the Uzumaki Clan had problems?
Having made up her mind, Konan silently said "sorry" to Yahiko and turned to walk outside.
In a city in the Land of Rain, inside the Golden Hotel, Uzumaki Rieko is directing operations.
They've had a great harvest over the past two months, and now it's time to move their spoils back home.
Looking at the supplies piled up outside, Uzumaki Rieko felt a rare sense of overwhelm. Although supervising the moving wasn't difficult, the sheer volume of work was staggering.
"Let's focus on transporting a portion back first, give the higher-ups a definite answer, and then we can discuss other things."
"Currently, there's almost nothing left in the Land of Rain that can be stored. Next is the harvest from the Games and restarting the event operations, which is relatively simple, and we shouldn't encounter any unexpected problems."
"We need to consolidate these shops before we go back, otherwise it will be difficult to get involved later."
"Hey, what brings Konan here?"
Uzumaki Rieko suddenly opened her eyes, which she had just closed to rest, and saw a figure rushing towards her. Countless questions flashed through her mind.
She and Konan had met a few times, so why was she rushing here in such a panic?
"Why are you back? Did something happen to the Akatsuki?"
Rieko looked at Konan, who had already come up to her, with a somewhat anxious expression.
"Rie... Rieko... older sister..."
Konan was panting heavily, her face showing embarrassment but not much anxiety.
"No rush, speak slowly."
Rieko breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward to take Konan's arm. A faint white light instantly enveloped Konan's body from her palm.
Konan's breathing slowed down, her flushed face began to return to normal, and her fatigue began to disappear. Her body returned to its most energetic state!
"Ah, that feels so good."
Konan opened her eyes, feeling her body become lighter, and exclaimed, "I haven't felt this relaxed in so long! It's amazing!"
"Of course, this is an ability that only a select few of our Uzumaki Clan can awaken!"
"This is the power of restoration and protection!"
Rieko wore a smug expression.
Even in the Land of Whirlpools at its peak, a person of her caliber would be considered an elite among elites!
"Wow, that's really impressive!"
Konan's eyes lit up, and she looked at Rieko with admiration.
"By the way, is there something you wanted to see me about?"
Rieko brought up the question from before.
Konan nodded hesitantly, but quickly made up her mind.
"It's the Rain Ninja. Because we've become stronger, Rain Ninja 've started targeting us these past few days. The rest of the organization is helpless, and then I... I thought of you, sister."
As she spoke, Konan lowered her head deeply, secretly observing Rieko's actions.
Faced with the Rain Ninja who possess demigods, will Rieko ultimately help them?
"I see..."
Hearing Konan's question, Rieko didn't have a good solution for a while. After all, her strength was nothing compared to Hanzo's, and it would take a lot of time to summon permission from headquarters.
But there's still room for maneuver!
"If that's the case, your Akatsuki may face the crisis of annihilation!"
"Ah?"
Rieko gave Konan a deep look and said, "This is a political struggle. Hanzo is destined to intervene!"
"I can now be considered a force Land of Rain, and as a foreign force, it's inconvenient for me to get involved!"
Hearing words similar to those spoken at the meeting, Konan's mouth dropped open in surprise. "So, does that mean Hanzo might even personally attack us in the future?"
Rieko nodded and glanced at Konan, who was holding her.
"That's right, and the situation you're worried about should happen very soon."
"What?!"
Konan was clearly startled.
"Because you came to find me."
Rieko calmly analyzed, "In the Land of Rain, I have never represented myself, but rather the power behind me!"
"You don't think those Rain Ninja are all idiots, do you? They haven't made a move since they saw a foreign power like me getting involved in the Land of Rain?"
"Moreover, the Land of Rain is in dire need of commerce right now. If they capture me and use me to do some things, the Land of Rain's trade might improve significantly!"
"They originally had no excuse, but now that you're here, they'll soon receive intelligence and devise a plan to deal with you."
"You need to understand that the moment you arrived here, they were already inevitably going to use you against me, or use me against you!"
"So I came at the wrong time, this was an absolutely wrong move! And now, is what those guys want to see?"
Konan swallowed hard, her voice trembling as she spoke instinctively.
Rieko nodded and patted her reassuringly.
"That's a good summary, and perhaps that's why you thought of coming to me."
But it's not like there's no way out!
Konan looked at Rieko, who was smiling, with a blank expression, and asked in confusion, "Is there any other way? Aren't we completely outmaneuvered by them now?"
"It's hard to say. You know, even the same conspiracy can have different effects depending on the target."
Rieko shook her head and said seriously.
"Since they've joined you out of fear that I represent the power behind me, what if that's really the case?"
Rieko strolled along with Konan, who was holding her arm, her expression calm and her voice indifferent.
"Although I don't know what the higher-ups mean, if I join you, I can use their power to buy you some time so you can prepare as much as possible!"
"Hanzo doesn't know whether I represent the Golden Consortium or even the Raikage, at least we're safe!"
"So, Konan..."
Rieko turned her head, looked at the still shocked Konan, and said with a smile.
"From today onwards, I am also a member of the Akatsuki!"